Recalibrate and thrive: how to recover when you’ve overdone it
Feeling great, being on form and having bags of limitless energy all the time is not possible. Zen like, stress free, no strain lives rarely exist. Even for those of us who teach and coach this stuff, who have all the tools – living in a state of balance is a far-fetched myth. I believe in and teach the art of recalibration instead, and it is an art because it is a beautiful and integral part of being human.
To feel rested, we must have first felt tired and to feel satiated we must first have had to have felt hungry – life and our experiences are full of polarities, there is a time to push harder and a time to soften and flow, and it is within that contrasting space that we can evolve, stretch, grow and learn.
Mastering the art of bouncing back (recalibration) is a good investment of your time because there is so much to be gained from being able to catch yourself, for yourself, before you fall face first into the Doctors office of worst still the Emergency Room.
I recently found myself exhausted and depleted to the point of almost alarm – not only was my mind and body shot, I was also having trouble sleeping which of course can perpetuate the problem massively. I had been traveling, working A LOT, doing a lot of talking and energy work, and managing to spin way too many plates – and the final straw was the passing of a beloved member of our Goa community, which has been like losing a family member to us.
I had to pause to recover, to grieve and get myself back on form, and so I went into radical self-care mode for a weekend – which is not uncommon for me. I didn’t think much of it until it came up in conversation with my assistant and she suggested I write about what I usually do when I’m out of whack, and so here it is – my mini guide to bouncing back when you’ve been over doing it!
Active resting
While sleep and stillness are paramount for replenishing energy levels and recuperating, it is also a good idea to mix it up with some very gentle and easy-going activity. Depending on what your version of ‘over doing it’ has been, it can generally mean we are tired in mind as well as body. Since we are ‘energy’ beings, and stress and tension is often an accumulation of energy in the body, which in the most simplest terms, is made up of our own energy (our thoughts and emotions) or that of other people’s (thoughts and emotions). It is beneficial to assist the process by partaking in some very light movement.
This will support our energy body in a kind of ‘draining out process’ – where by the all the gunk gets released organically without the need for ‘forcing’ or ‘trying hard’, which can often lead to additional layers of tension being added by paying too much attention to the discord. Gentle movement such as cooking, walking or yoga style stretching and breathing, can facilitate the process of bouncing back nicely, much like a soft and sensual massage can on a sore back, neck and shoulders.
Silence
A quick and simple way to call back in scattered energy is to stop any more of it from being expended for a while. Speaking requires a huge amount of our life force as we are not just using energy to project our voice, we are using brain power to think, process and articulate our words; add to that the heart and soul energy we are giving out – long bouts of verbal communication can be taxing.
Pausing speech and opting for silence is much like pressing the pause button on a live TV program, when you press play again and resume watching you have an abundance of leeway to fast forward to parts you actually want to watch, skipping over the mundane commercials or sluggish parts of the show. Spending a few hours or longer not speaking will see your energy levels ping back into place dramatically. The added bonus of this is also that quieting the mind will be easier, and with a calmer and quieter mind the body, mind and soul will merge back together, paving the way for easier self-reflection, managing and understanding your inner state and outer situations, and a recalibration of thoughts and emotions – another excellent contributor to the bouncing back process.
Fun
Fun and play equals happy, bright and light. If you can throw laughter into the mix too, you’ll find yourself on the right road to feeling yourself again. I will add in here that fun and unwinding has become synonymous with alcohol and other recreational drugs, and while my sharing’s are never intended to be of a preachy nature, I do not recommend buying into that anymore. While a glass of something you like is your prerogative, heading into entire evenings of binge consuming in order to ‘let loose’ is likely to see you crashing even more than when you set out.
When we think of fun and play we remember our childhood. Dropping back into wonder and playfulness, and letting our inner child lead us into enjoying the simple things like petting and playing with a passing dog, stopping in the park to do a cartwheel or marveling at the colorful bug in the street, we are snapped instantly into a beautiful state, and beautiful states are very conducive to the recalibration process. Discover what feels enjoyable to you, whether it be game night with friends, exploring a new part of town, trying a new food, watching the sunset or yoga or ball the park, and do it – even if all you can manage is watching your favorite comedy show or a silly movie, it is still playful!
Super-size i
I’m not talking about your fast food meal here, although I am going to talk about food and beverages in this segment! When your body is depleted, and your mind is over stimulated, the medicinal and healing properties of mother nature’s bounty are an excellent place to turn towards for nourishing sustenance and rehabilitation. I’m more about what we can add and include rather than what we should take away or ban, so don’t worry or stress about trying to ‘force’ yourself to cut stuff out or be super healthy and clean with your choices.
Use the power question “what does my body need right now?” – answer it honestly, and go from there. When we truly tune in and listen to our body we can operate as a team rather than the ‘me against you’ situation that so many of us fall into. Yes, it can help immensely with the bouncing back process to throw in a fruit and vegetable smoothie in alongside your protein packed breakfast, a raw salad with sustaining wholegrains for lunch and a power packed superfood meal for dinner, but it can also help to allow a soul nourishing, decadent and yummy experience too – by giving the body what it asks for sometimes, it will eventually repay you by craving a wide variety of wholesome foods.